Classical Conditioning

1
Classical Conditioning

• Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)
• Influenced by Dr. William Beaumont
• St. Martins Experiment
• Story of Pavlovs puppies
• Classical Conditioning Learning in which a
  previously neutral stimuli acquires the
  capability of evoking a response previously
  evoked by another non-neutral stimuli
• Unconditioned stimulus (US) A non-Neutral
  stimulus
• ex. Cupcake
• Unconditioned Response (UR) Response to a
  non-neutral stimulus
• ex. Salivating at the sight of a cupcake

2
Conditioning

• Conditioned Stimulus (CS) When paired with US
  begins to evoke response previously evoked by US
• Conditioned Response (CR) Response now evoked by
  CS
• CR not always as strong as UR
• dinner bells
• cognitive expectation effects?
• Timing

US
Simultaneous
CS
Trace
CS
Delayed
CS
Backward
CS
3
Pavlov Continued

• Delayed and Trace seem to work best
• within .5 seconds
• US effects
• works best with powerful US (hunger and pain)
• ex. doorknobs
• CS effects
• certain organisms respond better to certain kinds
  of stimuli
• dogs and auditory stimuli
• visual stimuli, sex and the human male
• should be novel stimuli

4
Compound Stimuli

• Represents a problem for Classical conditioning
• stimuli are rarely presented consistently or
  alone
• can classical conditioning account for most
  learning?
• Overshadowing
• one potential CS is more effective in a compound
  stimuli scenario
• ex. Bells and student shuffling at end of class
• sometimes the weaker stimuli can succeed if more
  powerful one goes away
• more novel data is more powerful
• ex. Screeching tires at accident
• Blocking One stimuli blocks learning potential
  of another
• quieter dentist drills
• tastier meds

5
Extinction

• Elimination of CR by presentation of CS alone
• Pavlov rings bell, no food
• doesnt always work particularly with fear
  responses
• consider dog phobia
• how (according to CC) would it develop?
• Yet extinction does not seem to occur
• Spontaneous Recovery
• tendency for previously conditioned responses to
  reoccur after extinction once the pairing begins
  again
• fire alarms, school and real fires

6
Problems with Classical Conditioning

• Works best with novel stimuli and biological
  imperitives
• Presentation of stimuli in real world
• Very passive form of learning
• not effective in life threatening situations
• Easily overcome by cognitive factors
• Thus, while part of the puzzle, CC is just one
  facet of human learning

7
Operant Conditioning

• Skinner
• Skinner Box
• disliked use of private events
• Redefines what is ok to be studied by
  psychology
• previously focused highly on mental events
• Now focuses exclusively on external events
• gradually repudiates existence of mind

8
Contingency

• Behavior takes place in a context
• environmental stimuli
• environmental consequences
• Antecedent Stimulus
• sets up the behavior
• ex. Ask a question
• commands to a dog
• Response Behavior of the critter after
  antecedent stimulus

Stimulus
Stimulus
Response
9
Consequent Stimuli

• How the environment ultimately reacts to the
  critters behavioral response to antecedent
  stimuli
• reinforcement or punishment
• increase or decrease rate of behavior on which
  they are contingent
• Primary reinforcers have biological significance
• ex. Food, drink, sex, etc.
• Secondary reinforcers acquire reinforcing
  properties due to prior learning
• ex. Getting an A on test
• can be a bit tenuous

10
Reinforcement and Punishment

• Reinforcement leads to an increase in behavior
• Positive reinforcementadding something good
• candy reward, money, praise
• Negative reinfocementtaking away something bad
• nagging, electric shock
• Punishment leads to a decrease in behavior
• Positive punishmentadding something bad
• electric shock, spanking, yelling
• Negative punishmenttaking away something good
• removing privileges, withdrawing love, silent
  treatment
• Controversies on Punishment

11
Operant Conditioning The Good the Bad and the
Ugly

• Operant conditioning is a trial and error based
  approach to learning
• flying a plane?
• Rewards and punishments often unclear,
  contradictory, or completely lacking
• Some behaviors continue in spite of little
  reinforcement
• romantic liaisons
• Like most psyche theories is ultimately guilty of
  the hammer hypothesis
• discounts important cognitive factors
• discounts freewill